


Live Again - The Phoenix and the Reaper

by Lily Catts (Borjarnon)



Category: Hololive, holoMyth, hololive English, vtuber
Genre: All this time these twelve thousand years I know 愛してる, Angst, F/F, Healing, Slow Burn, Yes it's Death from Discworld because that's my headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26734465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Borjarnon/pseuds/Lily%20Catts
Summary: She's a phoenix, and she's a reaper. A tale spanning thousands of years across time.
Relationships: Shiranui Flare/Shirogane Noel, Takanashi Kiara/Mori Calliope
Comments: 34
Kudos: 403





	1. Chapter 1

When Death called Calliope into his private office, the reaper-in-training was apprehensive of what was to come next.

"You called for me, sir?" she asked, smoothing her robes. Death did not usually call reapers-in-training such as her, so Calliope surmised that she must have messed up in her classes. Again.
    
    
    AH. CALLIOPE. I HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU. JOIN ME IN THE OVERWORLD.

The master reaper faded out of the immortal plane, and Calliope traced his soul signature in the human world, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. She followed him there, taking care to only manifest partially as mandated by the laws of reality--reapers were not to take full corporeal form in the land of the living, except in the direst of circumstances.

"Um, sir? There aren't any humans around." They were in a vast desert, dunes of sand stretching as far as her immortal vision could see.
    
    
    INDEED THERE ARE NOT.

Death pointed to an orange bird curled up in the sand.
    
    
    I WANT YOU TO TEND TO THIS ONE'S SOUL. FOR ETERNITY. I AM AUTHORIZING IT.

Calliope felt the irrevocable will of Death impose itself on her provisional reaper license. She checked it, and there was a new permission solely for this single soul.

"I thought our domain only extends to humans?"
    
    
    THIS ONE IS SPECIAL. I BELIEVE IT MIGHT BE A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU. I SHALL NOW LEAVE YOU TO YOUR RITES.

And with that, Death was gone.

The bird was still clinging on the last vestiges of life. Calliope watched it impassively. She tended to humans, but this was no different--merely a soul ridding itself of its mortal coil, and it was the reapers' job to help them pass on.

After what seemed an eternity (the passage of time was felt differently by the denizens of the underworld), the bird breathed its last. It burst into flame as it did, the conflagration extending high into the sky. Calliope realized that Death had assigned her to a Class A soul, a mythical being. But only Death himself was allowed such clearance, unless--

The realization dawned upon her. She steeled her scythe, falling into the textbook ready stance, and cut the phoenix's soul from its body.

The ghostly form of the phoenix wriggled out of the flames, and hovered before her.

"You can see me?" Calliope said.

"Thank you for freeing me," the phoenix said. "Are you my new reaper?"

Calliope smiled nervously. Her work usually did not allow for such pleasantries. "Um, yes, that would be me."

"Great! I'm Kiara. Nice to meet you!" the phoenix said, its soul-voice particularly cheery.

"You're welcome-- I mean! Let's take you to the afterlife." Reapers weren't allowed small talk with souls, and Calliope knew this was a test--a particularly special one, she believed. If she were to attain full reaper status, and even replace Death himself, she had to conduct herself perfectly.

"Oh, I'm choosing to be reborn," Kiara said. Calliope blinked, and remembered that phoenixes were indeed a special case, even among mythical creatures. They were mortal, but were locked in an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. On extremely rare cases a phoenix would opt to finally pass on to the afterlife, but Kiara had chosen to continue.

"Hold on. Let me find you a suitable dimension to be reborn in," Calliope said, keying her Mortalora personal device. "Ah. There."

"I need to finish burning, though," Kiara said. "I like seeing my own pyre. It's one of the things I look forward to when I die."

"Kind of a little morbid there, don't you think?" Calliope said, regarding the flames with crossed arms.

"That's funny, coming from a reaper like yourself," Kiara said.

"I'm just a reaper-in-training."

Kiara's soul performed an aerial loop. "Well, I'm glad to be your hands-on experience, miss--"

"It's Calliope," the reaper sighed. Who knew that phoenixes took their sweet time to die? Maybe that was the reason Death assigned her to Kiara, so he could be free of her chatter. Once she took his place, she'd pass on the obligation to some other poor reaper-in-training...

"Nice to meet you, Calliope!"

Calliope grimaced at Kiara's familiar manner. "Are you always so cheery? I mean, you just died! I just find it strange. Humans tend to beg and bargain. I've had a few throw tantrums at me, but dead is dead."

"It was a good life," Kiara said. "I'm very proud of it. I had fun and made friends. Isn't that all life should be about?"

"I wouldn't know," Calliope said.

"You mean, you've never observed human life?"

Calliope shook her head.

Whatever mortals did with their lives was none of her concern. Her only job was to meet them at the end of their lives, and such grave responsibilities were the domain of her kind. Their thankless work helped keep the universe running, and Calliope decided early on in the course of her study that she had no use for accolades or validation. So why was Kiara being all friendly with her? And was it shame that she was feeling? Perhaps an insight on the human condition would help her do her job better.

"I mean, I don't blame you. It can be a horrible experience. I've been killed a couple of times..." Kiara said.

"So why do you choose to live again?"

"I'm in love with them, I think." Kiara's soul changed into the form of a human woman. Her smile was serene. "I want to keep living with them, even if they become the death of me. I simply believe that they could rise up to become something greater than they are."

"I see," Calliope said, pondering Kiara's lofty statements.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you too much with mortal concerns?"

"No! I... I guess this is part of my work, too," Calliope said. She contemplated adopting Kiara's approach.

"See? I'm getting through you! Death doesn't really talk, so I asked him if he could find me a reaper who'd be willing to carry a conversation. I'm glad you're here, Calliope!"

"No problem, it's my job," Calliope said. The flames transfixed her immortal eyes. There was something special in them. Perhaps it was why phoenixes were revered and beloved even among mythical creatures. And on occasion, they were hunted down. "Wait. Can you just repeat what you just said?"

Kiara's human form blinked. "I'm glad you're here, Calliope!" she said again, with relish. Humans usually regarded Calliope with fear or anger, and she had accepted that it was part of a reaper's work. After all, humans were preoccupied by prolonging their lives and avoiding death. If they could achieve immortality, they would gladly take it without hesitation. But Kiara was simply just happy for her presence.

"I'm sorry," Calliope said.

"Why?"

"I'm not used to being welcomed like this."

"It's my dream to make humans adopt my attitude towards life and death," Kiara said. "To say 'I'm glad I lived today', every single day of their lives. That's why I'll always choose to be reborn. And you know what that means? I'll be forever in your care, Calliope!" She bowed at the reaper.

"What are you bowing for?" Calliope asked. From what she knew of humans, they bowed to show deference to their betters. Was she any better than this magnificent, mortal soul?

"I picked it up during one of my lives," Kiara said. "It means that I entrust myself to you."

"Forever... huh?" Kiara looked up at the tip of the flame, which slowly dwindled. They watched the flames die in silence, as the sun and moon made a few round trips along the sky.

"I hope I get reborn in a world with lots of humans," Kiara said.

"The system is random," Calliope said.

"It'll work out, eventually. I'll see you later?" Kiara's human form winked at her.

Calliope turned away, not wanting the phoenix to see her embarrassed face. "Of course. I'm assigned to your soul, after all."

Kiara pouted. "But I want you to see me as a friend. After all, we're going to see each other for a long, long time."

Calliope smiled. "Sorry. I'm really just not used to it. It's tough being a reaper, but you made me forget about it, even just for a while."

"Tell me about it?" Kiara said, angling her head.

Calliope observed the last of the flames die out, seeing Kiara's ashes arranged in the likeness of a phoenix with its wings outstretched. "Sorry, time's up. See you next time."

"See you next time, Calliope," Kiara said, her warm smile burning itself into Calliope's mind. It was a gift that she would carry to the underworld, and sustain her for an eternity of service.

Calliope confirmed the coordinates, and sent Kiara away, ashes and all.

* * *
    
    
    YOU WANT MY PERMISSION TO VISIT THE SURFACE?

"Remember that phoenix you assigned to me?" Calliope said. "Well, she said some things--I mean, sorry for making small talk, but she just wouldn't shut up, so I ended up actually talking to her--"
    
    
    IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. DO CARRY ON.

"So yeah, I started thinking of the things she told me. That she enjoyed living among humans. And I've never really given thought about it. It's not part of our job, is it? But maybe if I examined them up close, I could understand them better, and become a better reaper for it."
    
    
    PERMISSION GRANTED.

"I mean, I'm expecting you to rej-- what? Did I just hear right?" Calliope blinked.

Death leaned back on his comfy chair. 
    
    
    I COMMEND YOUR INITIATIVE. OBSERVE THEM WELL.

Calliope walked to her next reaper class with a spring in her step, silently thanking the phoenix who had expanded her horizons. She would see her again soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her fateful first encounter with Kiara takes Calliope to a new direction in her reaper career. Will it take her closer to her dreams?

Despite their fateful encounter, Calliope had little time to think of Kiara--she had her own battles to fight. To maintain her status as Death's successor, she had to obtain the maximum amount of credits in reaper college and pass all her classes with flying colors. She began to see her friends and family less, as her training demanded more and more time from her.

During soul-reaping hours, Calliope began to spend more time in the world of the living. She observed humans in her spirit form (reapers were only allowed corporeal bodies in special circumstances), wanting to understand her charges more. Her curiosity turned into bafflement, as it was plainly clear that human beings led short-sighted, self-absorbed lives.

More often than not, humans died alone and unloved.

Still, her job was to reap their souls, and Death's chosen apprentice performed her duty without complaint.

_How did Kiara ever come to love these humans?_ Calliope found herself thinking frequently. Perhaps there was something only the phoenix knew.

So when the alarm on her personal device sounded--the alarm signalling the end of Kiara's life--Calliope cancelled all her prior appointments and made her way to the phoenix's dimension.

Kiara's soul signature brought Calliope into a barren field, where a grisly battle was taking place. Two armies clashed, one army less in number, but having the advantage in tactics. Their speartip formation drove a wedge between the larger army, clearing their path to the enemy commander.

With a clean cut, Calliope freed Kiara from her mortal coil. As the phoenix's body burst into flames, Kiara immediately took human form and waved at Calliope.

"Kiara?" Calliope had expected several different scenarios for their reunion, but she was not prepared for her special assignment to be greeting her enthusiastically as people around them died in droves.

"Hi, Calli!" Kiara said. "Sorry you had to see this. It's kind of a mess, isn't it?"

"It's fine," Calliope said. She had been through worse--she had worked on extinction-level events before, and the resulting paperwork took literal _days_. "Wait, did you just call me 'Calli'?"

"Oh, should I not?"

The nickname was reserved to a select few, but Calliope did not have the heart to rebuke the just-deceased phoenix. "I was merely surprised, but I don't mind. What is happening, though?"

"See that castle? I did that! Had to burn out all my life-force for it, so sorry for needing you this early!"

Calliope blinked. Overlooking the battlefield, a wicked-looking castle was up in flames, its towers crumbling from the intense heat. "Congratulations, I guess. What made you involved in the affairs of humans this time?"

"One day, a party of adventurers saved me, so I swore a life debt to them. They went to war with the Dark Lord Malys Mizhar, so I came by to help them," Kiara said. " And now I'm fully paid!"

Calliope nodded. Indeed, the smaller army was winning, the vanguard advancing rapidly towards the enemy general. "Did you really have to sacrifice yourself for them?"

"That's what a life debt is!" Kiara chirped. "This world is full of conflict, and the Dark Lord's the root of it all. That's why I wanted to fight for a lasting peace, even if it costs my life."

Calliope sighed. She didn't really care for human conflict--most of it was bloody and messy and worse than underworld soap operas, which were exceedingly dire in the first place, but she knew several of her colleagues who ate it all up. A good number of underworld denizens became reapers for the drama. She doubted that she would ever acquire the taste for it. "If you did nothing, then more humans would suffer and die."

"Exactly! I'm glad you understand," Kiara said. "I'm going to take a closer look at the front lines. Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Wait--" Kiara protested, but she was too late. The human-form phoenix dragged her in the air, bringing them above the thickest fighting. Two women clashed with the Dark Lord, who was unmistakably garbed with an edgy quality that most reapers outgrew after their first few hundred years in the job.

"Go get 'em, Flare! Noel!" Kiara said, her voice as loud as a war horn had she been still alive.

The golden-haired half-elf launched a fireball at the Dark Lord, who swatted it away with their greatsword. It exploded at a nearby melee of foot-soldiers, sending bodies flying. As the Dark Lord stepped in with a slash, the silver-haired knight braced herself and blocked with her shield. Calli noticed her left arm go limp at the impact--the knight would not be able to block a second blow.

Nor did she need to. Smiling, she ducked, exposing the Dark Lord to her companion's line of fire. The next fireball hit them right in the face, staggering them. The knight took advantage of the opening by crushing the side of the Dark Lord's helm with her mace.

As Kiara cheered the valiant heroes on, Calliope felt her thoughts wander. If not for Kiara, she would have been reaping souls on the ground. Reaping a battlefield was tedious, mind-numbing work. Humans were so frail that a single wound, left untreated, could spell their end. Sometimes she wondered why healers and doctors even bothered.

"Calli, look!" Kiara tapped the reaper's shoulder, jolting her back to the fight below.

The knight rained blows at the Dark Lord, smashing their armor further. The foul warrior stepped back, their knees buckling, and raised their free hand--

"No!" Kiara said as lightning shot from the Dark Lord's fingertips.

Calliope watched on impassively.

The half-elf pushed her partner out of the way, taking the brunt of the spell instead. She sank to her knees, the last of her strength leaving her as she said: "Finish it, Noel!"

Calliope felt Kiara's trembling grip on her arm. She allowed herself to be held, putting aside her racing thoughts to watch the fate of this world unfold.

Noel the knight cast her shield away, and kicked the Dark Lord, stunning them. She gripped her mace with either hand, and swung, caving the rest of her enemy's head in. The towering general's body swayed, and fell to the ground unmoving.

"They won, but Flare..." Kiara said, as the Dark Lord's army broke after its general's death, scattering away like ash. The phoenix descended to the ground, dragging Calliope with her. The reaper observed Noel cradle Flare in her arms. She was pleading tearfully, but Flare kept smiling.

"I'm glad, Noel." Those were her last words.

Calliope watched a fellow reaper walk up to claim Flare's soul. "Let's go back," she said, turning Kiara away as her reaper hearing picked the unmistakable sound of a scythe cutting a soul from its mortal coil.

The phoenix did not protest, but merely held her tighter.

* * *

"They were my friends," Kiara said, after a long silence. She gazed at her pyre, as if seeking something. Answers, maybe?

"I knew that you loved humans, but I didn't think you'd be this close with them," Calliope said.

"I'm in my human form a lot," Kiara said. She gave herself a twirl, and struck a pose. "What do you think? Don't I look pretty?"

"You look like a phoenix playing at being human," Calliope said.

"So I'm not your type?"

"I... I don't even know if I have a type," the reaper said.

"I was just joking! You take everything so seriously."

"Matters of life and death are always serious for my profession," Calliope said.

"I know," Kiara said. "I want to thank you for indulging me, though."

"It's no problem," Calliope said. "You know, I've done a bit of thinking while I was away. When you said you love humans, I didn't really get why. So I started to study them up close."

"Oh? And what did you find out?"

Calliope shook her head. "Honestly, I'm disappointed--they meander through life, and most of them die without figuring out what's really important in their lives." She gave numerous examples of human misery and folly, but the phoenix's serene expression did not change. "What do you see in them? How could you stand them enough to fight by their side?"

"You're completely right about those things," Kiara said. "But that isn't the entire human experience. Even if a human lives a lifetime of misery, they're still able to experience beautiful moments as well. And sometimes those moments make an entire difference."

"Don't they ever betray you?"

"If someone betrays me, that's on them, not me," Kiara said. "My love is always mine to give, and mine alone. All I can do is be true to myself."

Calliope opened her mouth, but was struck speechless. "I... I will think about that."

"You're really cute, you know" Kiara said.

Calliope recoiled as if struck. "What? Where did that come from? What made you say that?"

"Who knew a reaper would have much less life experience than me?" Kiara said. "Besides, it's really clear that you care for them, despite your disappointment."

Cute? _Cute?_ "I just-- nevermind. Anyway, it's almost time. I take it that you're choosing to be reborn?"

"Yes!" Kiara said. "I look forward to our next meeting! I know they could be quite a handful, but not all humans are bad. I hope that someday you get to fall in love with them, too."

"I don't think reapers should fall in love with humans," Calliope said, "but I'll try to focus on their good parts." She pulled out her device and started Kiara's rebirth protocols.

Kiara glanced at Calliope's device. "Oh, it's almost time already? I wish we could talk longer... Can I hear your stories about humans next time?"

"I suppose I could find some interesting ones."

"You'll figure it out," Kiara said. "After all, you're my reaper!"

Calliope turned away in embarrassment. Why would she say such obviously inane things? And why did it make her feel all weird? It wasn't unpleasant, and she didn't hate it, but she had a job to do! "I'll be sending you over to the next dimension now. I wish you the best of luck in your next life."

"See you again, Calli! I'm glad I lived today!" The phoenix gave her the most sincerest of smiles.

And with a press of the button, she was gone.

_What a handful,_ Calliope thought. She had to remind herself that this was a job of the utmost importance, and that Death would be evaluating her every step. But perhaps it was the reason for her assignment in the first place? To challenge her in ways she would never have dreamed of?

Calliope pondered the phoenix's words for a while, watching over the humans as they started to carry their dead from the battlefield. In the distance she spotted Noel carrying Flare's body as she made the lonely journey back to her camp.

"Time to go, then," she said to the wind, raising her device. As she set a course for the underworld, her device beeped, giving her a set of nearby coordinates.

She had a reaper assignment.

* * *

As she followed the coordinates, Calliope found herself standing over the Dark Lord's body. Their soul thrashed in its dark prison, and Calliope realized that the soul had started to fuse with its corporeal vessel, and would be irrevocably damaged if cut improperly.

Summoning all her hundreds of years of experience, Calliope freed the Dark Lord's soul. It took the form of a robed figure, which promptly fell to their knees.

"To think... that all I wanted was to be held," they said, burying their face in their hands. "Where did it all go wrong? Where did _I_ go wrong? What did _they_ have that I didn't?"

"It's time to go," Calliope said.

"...Pissed it all away, and dragged so many unwilling people into my selfish ambition," the Dark Lord's soul went on. "Will I be punished, miss reaper? Please put me in a pit of eternal flame. That's the least I deserve."

"It's fine," Calliope said. The tales that humans tell themselves about the afterlife were completely and utterly exaggerated. "You did everything you could."

"It could have turned out differently. And everyone suffered because of me."

"You gave it your best, that's all," Calliope said. She was running out of things to say. What exactly do you tell a being reviled by an entire world? What kind of words would suffice for someone who caused untold amounts of grief?

She remembered Kiara's touch. Perhaps...

Calliope pulled the Dark Lord's soul into her arms. "It will be okay," she said. "I promise."

"You're very warm, miss reaper," the soul said. "If I had met you earlier..."

"Hush. No more ifs or shoulds. Let's go home."

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takamori is going strong, and I love to be part of such a vibrant community! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!


	3. Chapter 3

Calliope was filing her paperwork for the end of her shift when one of her fellow reapers approached.

"Still working, Calli?" the reaper said. Towering over Calliope, he was one of the more eccentric ones, enamored with human culture, but none could dispute his pristine track record. Unlike other reapers, he carried a sword instead a scythe.

"Yeah," Calliope answered, not taking her eyes off the form she was filing. With a practiced hand she ticked a flurry of boxes and filled the blanks with information about the concerned soul. There had been whispers of making the process faster, but until those rumors became reality Calliope preferred the old-fashioned way. There was a purpose to all this morose busywork, she believed.

"Have you checked out the human music I've sent you? It's dope."

Calliope finally looked up. " _Dope_?"

"Ah. It's human slang."

"Dope..." Saying it again, the word felt strange coming from her mouth. But it could be useful in her conversations with human souls. Since the Dark Lord incident, her communication skills had improved, and it seemed that her human charges were satisfied with her care. "Does this human music have more slang that I could use?"

"It sure does! Curious Canine is famous in several dimensions."

"Thank you for the recommendation, Mr. Hassan."

"No problem! Just thought you needed the break."

Calliope massaged her temples. Mr. Hassan was right. She might be working too hard. Perhaps a visit to Death was in order.

* * *

Death was sitting on his comfy chair, fingers steepled over his desk, as if waiting for Calliope to visit.

"Hi, boss," Calliope said. "Just wanted to ask you something."
    
    
    CALLIOPE. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
    

"So, um... am I doing well?"
    
    
    WHY DO YOU ASK?
    

"You know how it goes," Calliope said, kicking imaginary dust on the pristine floor. "I'd like to know if there's something I should work on."
    
    
    I DO NOT SEE YOU LACKING IN ANY ASPECT. SO FAR YOU HAVE BEEN DILIGENT IN YOUR DUTIES.
    

"Really?"
    
    
    WERE YOU EXPECTING HARSHER WORDS? I HAVE NONE FOR YOU.
    

"That's good to hear, I guess," Calliope said, pondering her next words. "Ever since you assigned me to Kiara, I've been thinking more about what it means to be a reaper."
    
    
    I SEE. HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING?
    

Calliope stifled a laugh. "Confusion. Bewilderment. I've always been sure that there's a higher purpose to what we do. Now? I'm not so sure. For many humans, life is terrible, and then they die. I just think... they deserve a lot more dignity than that? But what do I know? Maybe I'm just letting human emotion get the best of me."
    
    
    I ENTRUSTED HER TO YOU FOR A REASON. WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU WILL BE READY FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF YOUR APPRENTICESHIP.
    

"Then I will do my best."
    
    
    CARRY ON IN YOUR DUTIES. WE WILL SPEAK AGAIN.
    

"As you command, sir," Calliope said, bowing.

That went better than she thought. She expected a verbal thrashing the likes of the underworld had never seen, but Death went easy on her.

She was on the right track, it seemed.

* * *

One hour before Kiara's scheduled appointment, a reaper assignment brought Calliope elsewhere.

She arrived at a tiny apartment, enough for a bed and not much else. A human lay in an unkempt bed, wrapped in their covers. She scanned the person with her device. _Pronouns: she/her. Gender: woman. Status: alive...?_

The reaper stepped back. The woman was still breathing, and her body was in no immediate danger, but her mind was. _Just my luck_ , Calliope thought, _getting a rare case_. Sometimes they were alerted to the presence of a human whose will to live was so weak that they were in danger of dying, despite having intact vitals. These were inconvenient assignments, because they forced the reaper to hold vigil until the human got better or died (with some reapers arguing that the two were one and the same), and it was impossible to tell how long they would have to wait.

Calliope would not miss Kiara's death, but she would not botch such a assignment either. She had a reputation--no, a _duty_ \--to uphold.

"I know you're here, Miss Reaper," the person said, her head peeking out of her messy blanket. "Why don't you claim my soul right now? I've got nothing to live for anyway."

Calliope disliked the cheeky manner in which this dying soul was trying to goad her. Oh, she definitely could end her with a swing of her scythe, but that would just be giving into her demands, and Death's apprentice would not be ordered around.

"Sorry, I don't reap preemptively. You'll have to actually die first." Calliope was not the type to swing first and ask questions later.

"Eh? Maybe I could," she said, "but I'd have to get out of my bed. Or maybe I could, like, just stay here until I rot."

"Please don't do that," Calliope said. "We reapers are quite busy, so please have some consideration."

The woman snickered, and threw back her covers in laughter. "Don't you get overtime pay? Sick days? Well, I got fired from my job, so none of those matter."

Calliope nodded curtly. Everyone had a sob story. Employment (and the lack thereof) was one of the leading causes of death for humans. Would talking help? It didn't really matter whether the human lived or died--what mattered was if she could finish this assignment to make it time for Kiara's reaping and reincarnation.

"Well?"

"Well? Are you going to die, or not?" Calliope wondered if she should swing her scythe after all.

"I think I'm going to take my sweet time," the woman said. "I'd rather waste away than... you know... hurt myself." She clutched her head in pain. "Ah, water..."

With surprising dexterity she leaped out of bed and reached for the tiny fridge at the other side of the room. Calliope noted her unkempt pajamas as she knelt down to drink water from a plastic bottle. After finishing, she went straight for the bathroom, and came out five minutes later looking markedly better.

"Oh, you even washed your face," Calliope noted.

"Can't have oily skin when I die," the woman said, smoothing her hair. "Gross."

"It doesn't make a difference to me."

"It does to me," the woman said. She rolled back to her bed, and stared at the dirty ceiling. "I'd rather not die from a migraine, either."

"How do you feel now?" Calliope asked.

"Like shit," the woman said, squirming. "I heard that you reapers lend an ear to the souls you reap. Is that true?"

"Some do," Calliope said. In fact she may have done it a couple of times already, but she wasn't ready to admit it.

"Heh, I have a reaper for a therapist. I have no job, no money, no potential. I can't even muster the courage to stop... You know what I mean?"

"I do."

"I didn't have a life-changing revelation or anything. I _did_ get fired, but it wasn't even the main reason. I just woke up one day and thought it was easier to not exist. To not suffer."

Just that moment, Calliope's device alerted. _30 minutes before Kiara's soul reaping._

"Oh, so that's why you were hurrying me up. You could just use that scythe on me. It's not painful, is it?"

"You won't feel a thing, but I'm not killing you," Calliope said.

"Fine."

Calliope sighed. She floated over the woman and folded her legs mid-air in a sitting position.

"Nice ringtone, though," the woman said.

"You recognize it?"

"Well, it's weird hearing it from a reaper's cellphone, or whatever you call that thing you're holding. But Curious Canine? Really? You have some taste."

"Actually, a friend gave it to me. I'm trying to listen to it, but I feel like I don't really 'get' it."

"You're trying to _get_ human music?"

"If it would help me do my job better, then yes."

"You're very weird."

"So I have been told."

The woman finally looked at her. "Well, you're cute, so I'll let it pass."

"Excuse me? Cute? Really?"

"Why, is it the first time you've heard anyone call you that?"

Calliope looked away, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Not really."

The woman took out her own personal device and tinkered with it. Moments later, a round object sitting on the floor started spewing sounds. They were heavy on rhythm and made some pleasant vibrations that even Calliope's spirit form could appreciate.

"Is this... real human music?"

"You bet. I'm playing Curious Canine's earlier work, which I prefer. He's kind of lost his edge after he sold out to a major label."

Calliope blinked. "Label? Sold out?"

The woman laughed. "You're really funny, Miss Reaper. It's like you're serious about everything, and it's really charming. If I was only like that..."

"There, there. I don't really know what you went through, but you should stop beating yourself up about it."

Silence.

"You're right," the woman finally said. "Ah, now I feel better... and thirsty again."

She rolled out of bed and shambled towards the fridge again.

Calliope looked at her device. The assignment was null and void--the woman had successfully stepped away from death's door. "I have to go now. Sorry."

"I'll be fine," the woman said, though her face drooped upon hearing Calliope's announcement. "I just think... what if you didn't come? What if this happens again? It's not the first time..."

"Then remember what you've been through," Calliope said. "That you've done this dance a few times already, and you can do it again."

"And when it's finally time for me to go, will you come by to pick me up?"

"The system is random," Calliope said, "but I will do my best."

"Then go," the woman said. "See you again, Miss Reaper," she said.

Smiling, Calliope set a course for Kiara's home dimension.

* * *

Calliope arrived at a bustling town bathed in a golden sunset. There was a long procession of people heading towards the nearby hill. Her reaper vision confirmed that the body in front was Kiara's.

She rushed to the phoenix's side, only to find Kiara in her human form, lying in an open coffin filled with orange flowers. She was stubbornly holding on to a sliver of life. The reaper gazed at the top of the hill, where a stone structure had been built.

They were taking Kiara to her funeral pyre. _If this is what you want, then I shall play along_ , Calliope thought.

She floated alongside the procession, studying each of the faces in procession. They did not seem to be mourning, as humans usually did. There was a tinge of Kiara's boundless zest for life in each of them.

The procession reached the top of the hill, and Kiara was carefully laid down on the stone dais, amid the watchful eyes of the townsfolk. The humans stepped back, and Calliope took it as her cue to reap the phoenix's soul. As her scythe severed the link between body and and soul, Kiara's body burst into a brilliant flame, almost blotting out the setting sun.

Some of the townspeople started to cry, but their smiles never faded.

"You might have a lot of questions," Kiara said, her spirit form walking up to the reaper. She was still wearing the dress that her body burned with, immaculate white baring her shoulders. "And we have a bit of time, so I'll do my best to answer them."

Calliope stared up at the phoenix's pyre. It had raged stronger than she had seen before. "Tell me about the life you've led."

"I fought the evils of this world and defeated them all," Kiara said proudly. "But my last opponent was a witch, who cursed me to live as a normal human for the rest of my days. Hence the white hair and wrinkles. I was still cute though, right?"

"If you say so," Calliope said, wondering why humans obsessed with their appearances so much, Kiara included.

"Come on! The least you could do is agree," Kiara said teasingly, elbowing the reaper's side.

"Hey, I felt that," Calliope said, wincing. "I'm just pleasantly surprised to see you reach the end of your natural lifespan."

"Oh, yeah... Last time was rough. But this life made up for it!" Kiara said. "I'm glad I lived up to this very day."

"So all these people, they knew you?"

"I was the mayor of the town! Would you believe it?"

"That's not the most far-fetched thing I've seen happen with you around," Calliope said, sparing a glance at the people holding vigil over Kiara's flame. "How did that go about?"

"Well, after turning into a human I had to scrape a living, right? And this town's quite remote from the capital, so it was in constant danger from bandits and monsters." Kiara waved an imaginary sword around for emphasis. "I offered my services, earned the town's trust, and eventually they asked me to be their mayor. So I worked hard and made the town as nice as it could be!"

Kiara recounted of the incidents she solved with diplomacy instead of force. She befriended a pack of wolves, who helped defend the town in exchange for food during the difficult winter. At the ripe age of eighty she stared down an entire bandit army, convincing them all to turn their swords to plowshares with the promise of an honest life.

"You've done well," Calliope said. "I don't know all the tiny details of human society, but it seems that you've made your mark on this world without the need for violence."

"I was surprised too, with how well talking to people went," Kiara said. "Sometimes all you need to do is listen."

"So did you make any notable friends as mayor of the town?"

"Um, well, I married my best friend," Kiara said. She pointed to a short woman whose eyes were transfixed to the sky, watching Kiara's pyre burn. "It just felt right at the time, and she didn't refuse, so..." The human-form phoenix stared at her fourth finger, as if seeing the ghost of a ring on it.

"I'm very happy for you," Calliope said, and she meant it. She may not understand human relationships, but she knew their value. Kiara's wife laid down a sword and a shield on the ground, presumably the phoenix's personal weapons.

"We adopted children who were orphaned or unloved," Kiara said. She pointed to three adults hugging each other beside Kiara's wife. "I'm proud of them! They'll help run the town, but I imagine the town will hold an election to decide the next mayor."

"I see. It sounds like the town will continue to run without you. You must be very proud."

"Well, it wasn't all smooth sailing. I've endured my own share of failures and losses, too." And for the first time during their meeting, Kiara looked sad.

"My apologies."

"It's nothing! You have to live with both the good and the bad, anyway."

Calliope looked to the town, where the townsfolk were having a feast in the town square. "They're celebrating?"

"I ordered them to," Kiara said. "Rather than wallow in sorrow for me, I asked them to celebrate for my sake. Let's go down! I'll give you a tour of my pride and joy."

Calliope smiled. She found herself caught in Kiara's pace, and for once she did not mind. "Sure, you're in charge."

* * *

Like a seasoned tour guide, Kiara gave her assigned reaper a comprehensive history lesson of the town. She named all the stores, and all the generations that run them. After passing by every street and alley, they stopped in a tiny park overlooking the town hall.

"This was my favorite spot, whenever I needed to think things through. Sometimes my wife would bring me lunch, and if I wasn't in my office she knew where to look for me."

"How was it like, living with a human?" Calliope asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Kiara said, her voice teasing.

"Research purposes," the reaper said, without missing a beat.

"It sounds funny, now that I think of it, but living with my wife taught me to slow down. It wasn't easy at first, but eventually I learned to be find my pace as a human and not as a phoenix," Kiara said. "I might have lost my wings, but once I embraced being fully human I didn't miss them at all."

"I wonder if you're not... choosing to live again?"

"What? Of course not!" Kiara said. "I'm excited, honestly. Haven't stretched my wings in years, no thanks to that curse!"

Calliope shook her head. After this lifetime, everything else would seem like a downgrade. "But this life you just led... isn't it as good as it gets?"

Kiara smiled her biggest smile. "What did I tell you before, Calli? No matter what, I'll always choose to live again! In dark times, in happy times, I want to keep on living!"

"For all of eternity, huh." Calliope smiled. It wasn't a bad prospect. "And I will always be the one who brings your story to an end."

"That's right! You've changed, Calli."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you've gotten kinder since we first met, and you're a lot more earnest with your responses. Did something happen?"

"Oh, nothing special," Calliope said. "Maybe it's just human influence, since I've been spending more time in the overworld. There's also this thing called 'music' that's caught my interest. Do you know of it?"

"Why, there isn't a human who doesn't love music!" Kiara said, standing up. "Here, listen to this." She immediately started singing, and Calliope's device automatically translated the lyrics.

It was a declaration of undying love.

"Why... why would you sing that?"

"A wise person once said: anything that is too foolish to be said is sung."

"Oh. That... explains a lot of human music, then. I suppose I still have a lot to learn."

Calliope's device beeped. She turned her gaze to the hill, and noticed Kiara's funeral pyre growing faint.

"Oh, is it time already?" Kiara said.

"Yes, sadly." Calliope keyed in Kiara's next dimensional coordinates. She hoped the phoenix would get lucky once again. This had been their most pleasant meeting so far. "Get ready."

"Before you send me to the next realm, could you close your eyes for me?"

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"All right." Calliope closed her eyes, and felt every fiber of her being tingle as Kiara's lips made their indelible imprint upon her cheek.

"See you!"

In shock and bewilderment, Calliope's thumb slipped, sending her charge away without a goodbye.

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" she asked herself, touching her cheek. It was still warm.

* * *

Many years later, Calliope received a reaper assignment. Seeing the name and the soul signature on her device, she traveled to the coordinates with an expectant smile.

The woman lay on a bed, a proper one this time, covered by a hefty blanket up to her shoulders. A person slept on the nearby couch, a ring glinting on their dangling hand. A black cat was curled up at the woman's feet, purring gently. The room felt like a real home, and Calliope felt a tinge of... pride?

The woman's physical form had aged, but a reaper's eyes saw what was truly essential. Amid hardship her soul had blossomed beautifully, and today was the time it earned its wings.

With a swing of her scythe, Calliope set her free.

"Oh!" The woman's soul looked at her surroundings, first to the body she had left behind, and to her two living companions. "Not a bad run, I guess?"

"I'm impressed," Calliope said. "You've really made some progress since our last meeting."

The woman smiled, reminding Calliope of a certain bubbly phoenix. "You remembered!"

The reaper nodded. "I did. We had a nice conversation, after all. It may sound ridiculous, but meeting you helped me as well."

"Thanks," the woman said. "It was the lowest point of my life, but I managed to pull through."

"Don't thank me," Calliope said. You did well on your own."

The woman floated over to the person sleeping on the couch. She tried to ruffle their hair, but her hand ended up going through. The living human stirred, and Calliope wondered about the nature of their relationship. Humans held such complex bonds, and it would take her all of eternity to comprehend them.

The reaper watched the woman pet the cat, which seemed to respond by rolling on his back and swiping the air with his paw. Satisfied, the woman floated up to her reaper.

"Ready to go home?" Calliope said, offering her hand.

"Yes!" the woman said, taking it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while, as I found it highly personal to write. If I had Kiara's powers, I'd also choose to live again, over and over, but what happens if it becomes too much? What if this life is as good as it gets? Nevertheless, #TAKAMORI all the way!


	4. Chapter 4

Calliope arrived at Kiara's world early, killing time in the fine city where she was marked to be residing. According to her device, Kiara had stayed here for the past half-century.

It was easy to see why, as the city was holding a massive celebration in her honor..

The people wore Kiara's signature orange-and-green colors, and parade snaked around the central, headed by an impressive marching band, dressed in the finest garments. According to her personal device, this was a pre-industrial world, but this particular city was advanced compared to its peers. It seemed that everyone was clothed and fed, and her reaper senses could not locate a single sick and dying soul.

Calliope surmised that these people revered Kiara, which was not uncommon in her previous lives. But the scale this time was different: it was as if she was their god. She would have to ask Kiara about it. How did it feel like? _Did you not feel a burden on your shoulders, being the target of everyone's reverence?_

_Did you ever think of me?_

They had met several times already, and the reaper felt more and more comfortable with her charge. A tinge of longing started to stir in her soul, and she found herself wanting to make every encounter with Kiara longer than the last. She knew it was a problem, and that it potentially conflicted in performing her duties, but she nonetheless found herself counting the days until she could reap and secure Kiara's soul again.

Calliope stared at her device's screen as it counted down to the phoenix's natural death. _Three, two, one, zero._

The alert signalling Kiara's death did not arrive.

The apprentice reaper hesitated. This had not happened before—perhaps there was a mistake, or a glitch in the system? She expanded her senses, but she could not recognize Kiara's soul within the city. Yet her device had pointed her here. Perhaps the large concentration of life energy interfered with her device's tracking?

At a loss, she called up Death. Her device projected the disembodied head of her superior, the Chief Reaper.
    
    
    CALLIOPE.

"Hey, boss," Calliope said, already regretting her summons. "So... the countdown for Kiara's death already finished, but I didn't get any alerts or pings or anything. She's supposed to be in this city, but I've checked with my soul-sense and she's not. There's been some... interference affecting my device. The entire city is throwing a celebration for her. 'The Day of the Phoenix', my device is saying. Is something amiss?"
    
    
    TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION.

The apprentice reaper shrugged. "I... well... Kiara always dies on time. If she's killed, I get alerted instantly. That's how it's gone for all the times I've reaped her soul. But right now there's nothing. As if she's... not here. It bothers me, boss."
    
    
    THIS IS NO ORDINARY MATTER. I AM AUTHORIZING YOU A CORPOREAL FORM. RETRIEVE HER SOUL, CALLIOPE.

The moment Death hung up, Calliope's device received a new notification. An icon of a human body appeared on her screen, with a prompt asking her to continue.

Gaining clearance to a corporeal body was not easy. Normally it required a lot of paperwork, but Death completely expedited the process for her. How dire was the situation?

Calliope tapped the icon. The device bathed her in white light, revolving around her to produce a physical body, tailor-made to match her soul. When the process was done, Calliope's physical senses booted. She acclimated to them first, moving her body and understanding each of her physical senses, before intensifying them to full sensitivity in order to prevent shock.

The overall experience was slightly unpleasant for her. Her skin felt itchy, and her nose picked up a sickly sweet smell. Rot. But where? The dead and the dying were noticeably absent from this place. The colors overwhelmed her eyes, until her physical body remembered how to blink and squint.

The parade was deafening. Celebrants sang lively hymns to the phoenix they worshipped and revered, though never calling Kiara by name. "Our Lady Phoenix" was a title she would never come up on her own.

Calliope learned how to walk in the span of five seconds. When she reached the nearest human, she was already a master.

"Hi," she said. "Can I ask a few questions?"

"How may I help you, ma'am?" the human said. He looked mildly scandalized at her appearance. "You don't seem to be around here. Are you on a pilgrimage to celebrate the Day of the Phoenix?"

"I-I'm merely a passing traveler from a faraway land," Calliope said, "and I'm unfamiliar with the city's customs. Could you tell me what this 'Day of the Phoenix' is about?"

The man went at length about the celebration. Many years ago, the phoenix saved the city from certain ruin, but was grievously wounded. She was sealed deep beneath the city to recover, so the Day of the Phoenix was held every year to honor the phoenix's sacrifice.

"So K- I mean, Our Lady Phoenix is resting with the hopes of rising again?" Calliope asked. "And you hold this lavish celebration every year in the hopes of waking her from her slumber?"

"Yes, the man replied. "We spare no expense to celebrate Our Lady Phoenix's sacrifice."

"To think that you'd be spending so many resources every year that could have been used elsewhere... isn't that foolishness?" Calliope said, speaking the first thing on her mind.

"You dare disrespect our sacred customs? Know your place, outsider!" the man said. He strode away, gesticulating wildly at a nearby pair of spear-wielding guards. The guards approached Calliope, speaking words that her device, now clamped to the base of her arm, translated as "don't move. You are under arrest for sullying Our Lady Phoenix's name."

She realized that if those spears pierced her body, she would be filing a lot more paperwork back in the underworld. Corporeal forms were a precious, limited resource, and she would not let this body be harmed and disgrace her station as Death's chosen apprentice.

Calliope broke into a run, and the guards followed, who called for backup. Her pursuers increased in number with each passing block, and the civilians started to impede her progress by blocking several key avenues of escape. They were shouting words at her that Calliope's device wisely determined to not translate. A man broke out of the line and threw a punch at her. Calliope stepped aside to avoid the blow, bent her knees, and jumped high, landing on the roof of a house.

The view gave her a better perspective of the city. At the very center was a tall structure in the shape of a temple, with a stone phoenix carved in its facade. Looking around her, Calliope spotted crossbowmen emerging from other rooftops, aiming their weapons at her.

Calliope activated her cloak. The light bended off of it, rendering her almost impossible to see. She dodged the bolts loosed at where she was standing, and leaped from rooftop to rooftop, making her way to the central temple. Her cloak billowed in the wind and it would have been an exhilarating experience if not for the dire straits she had found herself in.

When she reached the temple, she tapped her device to scan it. The device produced a three-dimensional map in front of her, free to be expanded and manipulated as she pleased. There was a myriad of chambers but none of them contained Kiara's soul signature. However, there was a hidden entrance that revealed a passageway that went down, down, until her device rendered the area beneath in static.

Calliope stalked the inside of the temple, careful to sneak past servants and priests. The place was magnificent by human standards. Mortals placed importance in building their legacies, and to these people their faith was their life. Calliope's mounting sense of dread rendered her stomach in knots. Is this what it means to be a human?

As she went through the deep mazelike underground, she navigate through her reaper sight, focusing on the vivid image of Kiara in her mind. The tug was subtle, but it was all that Calliope could work with. Deeper and deeper she went, until she was pretty sure that she was deep beneath the heart of the city.

After what seemed an eternity in human reckoning, Calliope emerged out of a dark corridor into a vast chamber. She was overtaken with the splendor of the place, walled in rich marble and adorned with gold. There was a gigantic structure in the center, all flowing lines (wings?) and slender angles, folding around a large orange crystal. Inside it a human figure was encased, their body wrapped in magical chains.

It was Kiara.

Calliope's reason went out of the window as she broke into a run, unleashing her scythe from its sub-dimensional sheath. Out of nowhere a shadow appeared to block her way, and the flash of steel forced her to defend with her weapon.

The clash of blades numbed her ears and fingers. Calliope had been in fights before—scythe combat was a mandatory subject in her reaper education, but she had never fought in the flesh. She was limited to what her human body could do, and she acutely felt its limitations.

"You will not disturb Our Lady Phoenix's slumber," her assailant said. He seemed to be the high priest of sorts, clad in rich-colored robes that were nevertheless cut for freedom of movement. The way he moved was unnatural for a normal human, which implied the presence of supernatural powers. Calliope glanced at Kiara's out-of-reach body, which stirred against its bonds.

"Her time has come," Calliope said. "It's my duty to ensure her death and rebirth. Don't you dare stop me!"

"Killing Our Lady Phoenix would destroy the very balance of this world," the high priest said.

"So you would make her suffer instead?" Calliope understood the nature of the city: Kiara was being used as a sacrifice, her life force being used to effectively grant the citizens immortality. "Everyone must die, sooner or later. You cannot halt the natural order of life."

"She agreed to this."

"I would hear the truth from her own mouth."

The high priest slashed the air with his saber. "We've thwarted all kinds of unbelievers, but you are the most dangerous kind of heretic: one who would seek to destroy our city." He pointed his weapon at Calliope's face. "We shall send you to the depths of hell. Guards!"

Armed men filed out of the chamber's passageways. Calliope was outnumbered at least thirty to one. She noticed crossbowmen in the mix, who hung back, their weapons trained at her.

"Invoking Sisyphus Protocol," Calliope said. She held up her device, and made a gesture with her scythe hand. It chimed, flashing a red screen at her.

_Sisyphus Protocol invoked. Terminate threats to the Cycle of Life and Death with extreme prejudice._

"Come at me," Calliope said, "that I may pass judgment unto your souls"

The guards attacked as one, their movements drilled to perfection. But no amount of mortal training could save them as Calliope's scythe slashed through blade and plate, instantly severing souls from their mortal coils. The guards' writhing souls dissipated into nothingness, spirited away by the Sisyphus Protocol. Whatever fate awaited them was a closely-guarded secret that not even Calliope had knowledge of.

The crossbowmen loosed their bolts. With her enhanced human reflexes, Calliope dodged aside. She pivoted on her foot, spinning, and threw her scythe at the line of ranged attackers, wasting them as well. Their bodies fell to the ground, their faces uniform in stark disbelief.

The high priest took a stance and lunged, his weapon bursting into flame. The heat from the enchanted blade was so intense that Calliope's skin broke into sweat as soon as he got into range. She twirled her scythe to barely deflect her opponent's thrust. He had gotten faster.

From her peripheral vision, she noticed Kiara's face contort in agony. The bastard was drawing power from the one soul that Calliope had sworn to protect.

"In the name of Death, stop!" Calliope said. The longer she drew this out, the more the phoenix suffered. Her attachment to Kiara dampened her resolve. How could she save her without prolonging her agony?

"Our Lady Phoenix, guide my blade!" Drawing even more power from his unwilling patron, the man intensified the flames on his sword, until he himself was covered in fire without suffering any adverse effects. He slashed at Calliope, who could only defend as the flames outranged her scythe's reach. Eventually, the haft of her scythe caught flame, and she threw it to the ground. Disarmed, she rolled desperately to dodge her opponent's attacks. Her cloak caught fire, and she discarded it, patting her singed shoulders.

She narrowly evaded a slash, and found herself nearing the wall. As the man lunged again, Calliope turned and ran up the wall. With a mighty kick, she flipped cleanly over her opponent, and tapped into her reaper powers. As she landed, more scythes materialized around her, drawn from the aether. Calliope gestured at the high priest, and her scythes threw themselves at the man.

Smiling, the high priest destroyed the scythes with a single wide slash.

"Is that your best?" he said.

Calliope grinned. "That was a distraction, idiot."

The high priest looked past the reaper to see a single airborne scythe slash the crystal open, destroying Kiara's prison.

The flaming sword went out as the chamber turned pitch-black, until its backup power took over a second later. Freed from her bonds, Kiara fell—

—into the waiting arms of Calliope. The reaper laid Kiara's body on the floor, resting her head on her thighs.

"No!" the high priest said. Calliope raised a hand, and an invisible force yanked the man off his feet, the inert sword clattering to the ground. Calli's hand made a squeezing gesture, and the man's neck began to shrink and compress. He gripped futilely at his neck, as Calliope pulled him closer.

"Who allowed you to do this?"

"Our Lady Phoenix willed it..."

"She did not," Calliope said with conviction. She stroked Kiara's radiant hair. _So this is what she feels like._ Not even years of imprisonment and abuse could erase her warmth. "You couldn't have possibly done this on your own. Who is backing you?"

"The City of the Phoenix shall live forever!" the man spat out, thrashing against Calliope's spirit grip.

In her frustration, Calliope squeezed her hand into a fist. After a sickening sound, the man's lifeless body dropped on the floor.

"Kiara, I'm so sorry," the reaper said. Kiara's physical body looked so emaciated and weak. Calliope took a peek into her soul with her reaper's sight, and gasped. Her essence was in disarray, and the damage had marred her very soul.

"Calli? Is that you?" the phoenix said, stirring. Gaunt, cracked lips formed into a smile. "You took physical form just for me?"

Calliope repeated her apology, turning her face away in shame. Her human eyes felt watery, and were she not holding Kiara she would have wiped her tears.

"Why are you crying?"

"I was too late to realize what happened to you. The humans were exploiting your power for their own selfish ends. I'm sorry, Kiara."

"It's not your fault. And this isn't the first time," Kiara said. "I remember sleeping for a very long time, and I was caged in a dream. But then I saw light, and then..." She smiled at Calliope. "I'm just happy you came to save me. That alone makes up for all of this."

"Don't say that! I could have prevented this in the first place..."

"Don't blame yourself, Calli," Kiara said. She reached up to wipe away the reaper's tears. Even her very touch was tender and kind. "If your face is the last thing I see in this lifetime, then I'm glad I lived today."

She closed her eyes, and lay still.

Suppressing her sobs, Calliope produced a long, thin dagger and stabbed it through Kiara's bosom. She felt the agony of Kiara's dying flame, and held on until her physical body turned completely into ash alongside the phoenix's.

* * *

In the City of the Phoenix, the inhabitants withered as their source of life and longevity passed away. The Sisyphus Protocol spirited their souls away, sparing no one. Such was the price for trying to cheat Death.

Calliope, in her spirit form, floated up to watch Kiara's rebirth pyre from high above.
    
    
    CALLIOPE.

"Hey, boss," Calliope said.
    
    
    YOU HAVE DONE AN ADMIRABLE JOB, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

"I had no idea that someone could do this to her. To Kiara."
    
    
    THERE ARE MANY WHO WOULD SEEK TO EXPLOIT A PHOENIX. THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE EVADED OUR SCRUTINY MEANS THAT THEIR BACKING WAS CONSIDERABLE.

"Will Kiara be okay?" As Calliope spoke, Kiara's pyre weakened, until it was no more. Kiara's soul floated before them, an orb of flickering flame, its tips murky and corrupted.

Death examined the soul. 
    
    
    SHE CANNOT BE REBORN AS SHE IS. THERE IS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HER SOUL.

Calliope took the broken soul in her hands and embraced it. Outside of a physical body, her kind did not shed tears, but her sorrow agitated the clouds enough to send them raining. Thunder and lightning struck the city repeatedly, and a metal statue of Kiara (wildly inaccurate in its interpretation) was battered with multiple lightning strikes.
    
    
    I AM PUTTING YOU ON FORCED LEAVE.

"Why?"
    
    
    SO YOU COULD REST. YOU HAVE DONE ENOUGH FOR NOW. I SHALL TAKE CARE OF THE PHOENIX'S SOUL.

Death extended a hand.

When Calliope handed over Kiara's soul, she wondered if it was the last time she would ever see her friend.

In a way, she was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are in the endgame now, in a manner of speaking.

**Author's Note:**

> I really, really can't get enough of Calli's song "Live Again", and reading Kiara's comment on it just cements their relationship in my head. This is what I came up with.


End file.
